June 28, 1999. Copyright 1999. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

ROAD TOLL TRIALS GET INTO GEAR

LONDON, June 28, Graphic News: THE START date for BritainÕs first pay-as-you-drive tolls will be announced by the government today. Two pilot studies are to be set up on the M8 running between Edinburgh and Glasgow and the A61 going into Leeds. The year-long trials are expected to cost £10 million.
The system proposed involves fitting a meter into the car which would automatically deduct the toll from a rechargeable smart card inserted at the beginning of the journey. Roadside beacons emit microwave signals to activate the meter as soon as the car entered the charging zone, but during the trials no money will actually change hands. The primary advantages of this system are its ability to operate in multi-lane traffic and at speeds up to 70mph but additional benefits might include transmission of traffic information to drivers via the meters and using the smart cards to pay public transport fares as well as private journeys.
The concept of road pricing is fraught with difficulty Ð many drivers resent the implication that their movements will be recorded but the technology is moving quickly and it may be soon be possible to operate a system that guarantees anonymity Ð provided drivers obey the rules.
The trials are being seen as an attempt by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, to prove that he is doing something about transport problems after criticism over congestion and fuel duty.
/ENDS